Virtualization is the latest technology to revolutionize IT, data centers, and nearly all computing operations. The wide range of virtualization solutions has created new opportunities for efficient information technology operations that any company can access and afford. When it comes to data center virtualization, there are many services and procedures available to streamline any or all parts of data center management.
Nearly any IT component or procedure can be made virtual. Data storage itself can be optimized with virtual drive utilization. Networks can be set up and managed with virtual partitions and connections to streamline communications and wiring. Applications and software can be distributed from a central server to end user terminals. Even hardware can be made virtual by parceling out centralized processing power on demand. Operating systems themselves can be made virtual, turning access terminals into full-fledged computers.
Virtualization and Data Storage
Optimizing data storage with virtualization solutions breaks down into two main methods. First, block virtualization enables distributed storage networks to appear to be a single physical device. Data center virtualization, in this respect, would consist of information that is mapped to remote drives instead of local hard drives. This scheme creates individual, virtual hard drives for each user that are all located on a network drive but appear to, and function as, a typical hard drive. Data is then connected with a central source instead of disparate local drives, increasing data storage efficiency without sacrificing accessibility.
File virtualization solutions are geared towards providing flexibility for both users and networks. Typically, workers manipulate files directly, navigating to a specific drive in order to open, move, or rename files. Making this process virtual occurs by having users access a pointer to necessary files. This results in the same functionality as before, but offers the ability to manage the files on a drive, move them, perform maintenance on the drive, or migrate to a new system and only have to update a global pointer. These changes can occur behind the scene without the need for each user to update their drive mappings.
Flexible Virtual Networks
Wiring data center networks that are capable of handling new users easily while being reliable can be achieved through network virtualization. Each network can be separated into individual smaller networks, enabling a single Ethernet port to handle multiple virtual connections. These connections can be more easily managed in order to service hardware and shift loads when a network device fails. This dynamic and robust setup helps to ensure stable data center networks.
Virtual Software and Applications
A large portion of virtualization solutions' cost savings can come from using virtual software. A central server hosts all the necessary software and applications and then distributes them to terminals as they are needed. Each user's terminal provides the processing power and memory, but the installed files remain on the host computer. In doing so, costly, redundant application installations can be avoided, and scaling up the number of terminals that need to run a given application becomes turnkey.
Making Hardware Virtual
On the other hand, virtualization solutions can take the form of virtual hardware as well. Instead of having each terminal as a fully-fledged computer, complete with processor and memory, terminals can consist of a mouse, keyboard, and monitor. The required processor power is assigned from an efficient, high power computer or server on an as-needed basis. Every data center operation would be dynamically allocated CPU power, ensuring that computing resources are used efficiently without waste.
Operating Systems
Combining hardware, software, and operating system virtualization can create comprehensive virtualization solutions. Data center access terminals, instead of being a complete computer, could instead be a set of input devices with all the required components being distributed from a central, high efficiency central server. Each terminal would only use the resources it needed without having to have dedicated hardware and software, which is often redundant.
Operating system virtualization follows the same idea as remote application hosting. Instead of providing a suite of software, the operating system itself is made available to an end user. Each operating system is a self-contained version of common OS's.
Ultimately, full virtualization services can radically transform data centers. Be removing hardware requirements and the associated capital investment and lead time, entire systems can be dynamically scaled to meet specific needs. IT implementations can be leveraged for efficient operation without wasting resources. Overall, data center virtualization solutions make cost efficient, cutting edge technology more readily available to businesses of all sizes in any industry.
Author Resource:
Steve Bulmer is CTO and an author for Consonus, a solutions provider of data center virtualization . Consonus offers virtualization solutions tailor made to fit any business need.
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